Variegated Squirrel

The most common species of squirrel in Central America is this Variegated Squirrel, Sciurus variegatoides (my gallery link). Here’s 3 shots of a very active one in my garden who, in one photo, is gathering material for a nest. And I’m back to doing posts in real time with just a few more photos from March when I was staying 10 days ahead on posts. Hoping the winds will die down and more birds and butterflies will be visible.

¡Pura Vida!

Yesterday’s Visit to a Nutritionist + Healthcare Summary

My Geriatric doctor at the public geriatric hospital in San Jose was concerned about a little increase in my cholesterol and set me up with a visit to the Nutritionist at the public clinic here in Atenas. Like I was expecting, after evaluation of my eating habits, she targeted the sugar in my diet. (I love sweets!)

So, only a minor adjustment to my usual diet, targeting the sweets monster! 🙂 And I have been drinking an Ensure for lunch most days which she say s is not good, because it contains too much sugar! 🙁 But Glucerna is a low-sugar substitute I can use. And I am to eliminate regular ice cream, that I love, with just small portions of a no-sugar ice creams available here from our dairy, Dos Piños, called Proteína and Delactomy (skimmed milk ice cream). And of course my juices must be sans-sugar and no sodas! July 9 is my next visit to the nutritionist who weighs me and measures my waist – her measurements of my diet progress. 🙂 I prefer eating what I want when I want, but this will definitely make me healthier and live longer.

The public health system in Costa Rica is great if you use it! (Most Americans here don’t.) All for the monthly price of about the same as I pay for U.S. Medicare which is worthless for me overseas and it only paid a portion when I was in the states, requiring additional insurance.

Almost all of my medications are provided free by the government here through my local clinic’s pharmacy, and I have regular checkups with my GP here also. Plus I have specialists at two different public hospitals in San Jose, Hospital Mexico for my ENT who continues to monitor any possible spread of the cancer I had on the left side of my face, plus he got me hearing aids and watches other things in my head; and my respiratory specialist, also in Hospital Mexico, who monitors my sleep apnea, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory problems, prescribing multiple medications (2 inhalers+), a CPAP machine, with a nurse visiting my house once a month to check on me and monitor the CPAP machine. All of that is provided free by the government here and much more help than I received from expensive private doctors in the states. Then I also see a geriatric doctor at least once a year or sometimes more often at the geriatric public hospital in San Jose. Geriatric was triggered as another follow-up of my cancer surgery 5 years ago. I also (on my own) see private dermatologist every 6 months to check for new skin cancers because I did not like the public dermatologist I was assigned to in Alajuela Hospital. You always have this option or choice here. Plus I see a private podiatrist in Atenas because the public system has no podiatrists. Wow! Lots of doctors and lots of medications, but I guess it just goes with my age! 🙂 I turn 86 in July.

¡Pura Vida!